
o 




5?^ 



Sujarv TOarr. 5palclm' 



LIBRARY QF CONGRESS. 

%p._- gxiii^riB^t if u 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 



V 



THE 

WINGS OF ICARUS 



THE 



WINGS OF ICARUS 



BY 



SUSAN MARR SPALDING 



BOSTON 



ROBERTS BROTHERS.^^^T^FccFT-;.--^ 

'^9^ f* APR 19 isc: 



X 



. S33 



Copyright, 1892, 
By Roberts Brothers. 



Mnibevsitg press: 
John Wilson and Son, Cambridge, U.S.A. 



To HENRY D. NELL, 

/;/ 7'ecognition of an tm failing friendships 
^f)ts Folume 

IS GRA TEFULL Y DEDICA TED. 



CONTENTS. 



Page 

The Wings of Icarus . ii 

Two Singers 12 

A Desire 13 

Fate 14 

Equinoctial . . .'. 16 

Desillusionne i? 

The Second Place 18 

Dear Hands 20 

A Mirror 21 

Influence 22 

After the Fall 2^ 

Au Roi 24 

A Victory 25 

Psyche's Lamp 26 

An Antique Intaglio, 1 27 

An Antique Intaglio, II 28 

Guerdon 29 



8 CONTENTS. 

Page 

Death's First Lesson 31 

Vantage-Ground 3^ 

Second Bloom . 33 

Two Lives 34 

Out of Silence 35 

Two Guests 3^ 

By Love-Light ?n 

The Sea's Spell 38 

Byways 39 

Vashti 40 

Potiphar's Wife 41 

Love's Gift 42 

To My Host 43 

My Brother's Keeper " 44 

A Confession 45 

The Singers 46 

When He Comes 47 

Bounty » 48 

One of Many 49 

A Song's Worth 50 

Quest 51 

Hail , ... 52 

At Friends' Meeting 53 

Caprice 54 

Storm Signals 55 

My Service 56 



CONTENTS. 9 

Page 

In April 57 

The Prairie 5^ 

My Familiar 59 

Love's Largess 6o 

A Winter Gift 62 

A Battle-Ground 63 

When We Have Said Farewell 64 

Companionship -65 

A Portrait 66 

Sparrow and Skylark 67 

Song of the Stars 68 

Philip Bourke Marston 70 

Immortelles 71 

Dawn 72 

Doubt 73 

A Forsaken Garden 74 

The Wave's Death 75 

East Wind 1^ 

One Voice 77 

A Lesson in Horticulture 7^ 

In Winter 80 

Sorrow and Song 81 

An Old Fan 82 

A Flood 84 

An Enigma 85 

After-Possession 87 



lo CONTENTS. 

Page 

A Fancy 88 

The Lighted Way 9° 

An Aspiration . 91 

My Part 92 

A Lesson of Love 93 

" From Life's Levels " 95 

Our Daily Bread 96 

God's Own 98 

Hell Gate 100 

A Lost Spring loi 

A Winter Rose 103 

Love's Presence 105 

My Friend 107 

The Fringed Gentian 109 

From the Phonograph no 

Quatrains m 



THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 

T TE flew too near the sun, and evermore 
*- -*• His futile wings in mockery we name. 

A type of fallen vanity became 
The torn and scattered pinions that he wore. 
Ah, is it wiser all the dull earth o'er 

To crawl, unlured by heights of love or fame ? 

Nay, though our souls be wax unto the flame 
Of Destiny, he that hath wings, must soar I 

Like Icarus, I deemed my pinions strong 
To bear me to the heaven of my desire ; 

Like him, from skies too glowing, I am hurled. 

Now, for a day, these broken plumes of song, 
Faded and scorched by love's divinest fire. 

The winds of Fate shall blow about the world. 



12 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



TWO SINGERS. 

SOMETIMES, dear Love, you murmur, '' Oh, could I 
But snare with words the thoughts that flutter 
through 
The thickets of my heart ! Could I, like you. 
Bind with sweet speech the moods of earth and sky ; 

Or turn to song a smile, a tear, a sigh ! 
Alas ! my springs of thought but serve to do 
The mill-stream's common work. I may but view 

Afar, the heights of song to which you fly." 
For me, I shape from all my heart's best gold 

These skill-less cups of verse. They have, I know. 
No grace save this, — unto your Hps they hold 

Love's dearest draught. I hear your praise, 
but, lo ! 
One smfle of yours, one kiss all-eloquent. 
Shames my poor songs to silence. Be content ! 



A DESIRE. 13 



A DESIRE. 

LET me not lay the lightest feather's weight 
Of duty upon Love. Let not, my own, 
The breath of one reluctant kiss be blown 
Between our hearts. I would not be the gate 
That bars, like some inexorable fate, 

The portals of thy Hfe ; that says, " Alone 
Through me, shall any joy to thee be known ; " 
Rather the window, fragrant early and late 

With thy sweet dinging thoughts, that grow and 

twine 
Around me like some bright and blooming vine ; 
Through which the sun shall shed his wealth on thee 
In golden showers ; through which thou mayst look 

out. 
Exulting in all beauty, without doubt 
Or fear, or shadow of regret from me. 



14 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



FATE. 

TWO shall be born the whole wide world apart, 
And speak in different tongues, and have no 
thought 
Each of the other's being, and no heed ; 
And these, o'er unknown seas to unknown lands 
Shall cross, escaping wreck, defying death, 
And all unconsciously shape every act 
And bend each wandering step to this one end, — 
That, one day, out of darkness, they shall meet 
xA.nd read life's meaning in each other's eyes. 

And two shall walk some narrow way of life 

So nearly side by side, that should one turn 

Ever so little space to left or right 

They needs must stand acknowledged face to face. 

And yet, with wistful eyes that never meet, 



FATE. 15 

With groping hands that never clasp, and Hps 
Calling in vain to ears that never hear, 
They seek each other all their weary days 
And die unsatisfied — and this is Fate ! 



1 6 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



EQUINOCTIAL. 

I SAID, '' September days are clear and fair, 
And sweet with scents of ripening fruits, and free 

From the fierce heats that sweep across the sea 
And break in tempests on the summer air. 
For one storm-beaten hfe, blown here and there 

By summer gusts of passion, there will be 

A short, sweet season of serenity, — 
A refuge pain and peril may not share." 

How should I know that one September blast 
Would out-wreck all the tempests of the year ? 

O treacherous heart, smiling at dangers past, 
So wilfully secure, how should I fear 

That all thy vaunted strength could not avail 

Against one passionate autumnal gale? 



DESILLUSIONNE. 17 



desillusionne:. 

THE foolish bud would fain become a flower, 
And flaunt its heart out in the fair sunshine ; 

The ardent blossom, tremulous on its vine, 
Dreams only of a golden fruitful hour ; 
Amber and amethyst, of royal dower. 

The perfect, purple clusters hang, and pine 

To pour their souls forth into perfumed wine, — 
Impatient, leaning from their sheltered bower. 

O blind ones ! All your blended stores of scent 

And subtle sweets to this poor end are spent, — 
That man should idly quaff from sparkling glass. 

Your dew and fire and spice ; sighing, while e'er 
Your honey lingers on his lips, " Alas ! 

The bud, the bloom, the fruit ! How sweet they 
were ! " 



1 8 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



THE SECOND PLACE. 

UNTO my loved ones have I given all : 
The tireless service of my willing hands, 
The strength of swift feet running to their call, 

Each pulse of this fond heart whose love commands 
The busy brain unto their use ; each grace, 
Each gift, the flower and fruit of life. To me 
They give, with gracious hearts and tenderly, 
The second place. 

Such joy as my glad service may dispense 

They spend to make some brighter life more blest ; 

The grief that comes, despite my frail defence, 
They seek to soothe upon a dearer breast. 

Love veils his deepest glories from my face ; 
I dimly dream how fair the light may be 
Beyond the shade, where I hold, longingly, 
The second place. 



THE SECOND PLACE. 1 9 

And yet, 't is sweet to know, that though I make 
No soul's supremest bliss, no life shall lie 

Ruined and desolated for my sake. 
Nor any heart be broken when I die. 

x\nd sweet it is to see my little space 

Grow wider hour by hour ; and gratefully 
I thank the tender fate that granteth me 
The second place. 



20 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



DEAR HANDS. 

ROUGHENED and worn with ceaseless toil and 
care, 

No perfumed grace, no dainty skill, had these ; 

They earned for whiter hands a jewelled ease, 
And kept the scars unlovely for their share. 
Patient and slow, they had the will to bear 

The whole world's burdens, but no power to seize 

The flying joys of life, the gifts that please. 
The gold and gems that others find so fair. 

Dear hands, where bridal jewel never shone. 
Whereon no lover's kiss was ever pressed, 
Crossed in unwonted quiet on the breast, — 

I see, through tears, your glory newly won ; 

The golden circlet of life's work well done. 
Set with the shining pearl of perfect rest. 



A MIRROR. 



A MIRROR. 

THOU art a mountain, stately and serene, 
Rising majestic o'er each earthly thing, 

And I a lake that round thy feet doth cling. 
Kissing thy garment's hem, unknown, unseen. 
I tremble when the tempests darkly screen 

Thy face from mine. I smile when sunbeams fling 
Their bright arms round thee. When the blue heavens 
lean 

Upon thy breast, I thrill with bliss, O King ! 
Thou canst not stoop ; we are too far apart. 
I may not climb to reach thy mighty heart ; 

Low at thy feet I am content to be. 
But wouldst thou know how great indeed thou art, 

Bend thy proud head, my mountain love, and see 

How all thy glories shine again in me ! 



THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



INFLUENCE. 

LIKE dying echo, faint and far it seems, 
Or fleeting fragrance born of summer rain ; 

Elusive as a half-heard, haunting strain, 
Or some dim memory interwove with dreams. 
It wields no power o'er outward things, nor gleams 

A shining goal for Hope or Love to gain ; 

It cannot ward the blows of grief or pain. 
Nor smooth fate's stormy flood to peaceful streams. 

Yet nameless, vague, it hath a Hfe intense, 
That thriUs through every heart-throb, every breath ; 
Whate'er I am, whate'er I hope to be, 

Is won from this sweet, subtle influence, 
This soul-lit flame, revealed alone to me. 
That Ughts my life, and will illumine death. 



AFTER THE FALL. 23 



AFTER THE FALL. 

r^ PERFECT fruit ! Thy purple wine of bliss 

^^ Through all my being thrills in ecstasy, 
The while I gather from forbidden tree 

The whole world's sweetness folded in one kiss ! 

With heart and eyes unsealed, I shall not miss 

One breath of rapture I have won from thee, 
- Nor yet thy crimson bloom that crowneth me. 

Ah, what were all the world worth, wanting this ? 
" Whoso doth eat thereof shall sw-ely die / " 
Amen ! I would not all too lightly buy 

My treasure held so dear. This tremulous breath 
Turns not the scale. I count it glorious gain 
To purchase sweetest joy with bitterest pain, 

My one glad hour of life and love, with death ! 



24 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



AU ROI. 

GO, rose, and blush to radiance 'neath his eyes, 
Even as I, who in his glance am blessed. 
If thou a moment to his lips be pressed. 
Cling close, O rose ; with rapturous kiss surprise 
And snare for me the subtle bliss that flies 

Before my longing lips. Perchance thou 'It rest, 
O happy rose, an hour upon his breast ! 
Glow then and throb, as 't were my heart that lies 
Within thy crimson bloom. Haply, some new. 
Sweet, sudden sense of joy may tremble through 
His soul. As in a vision swift and bright 
He may at last thy message read aright. 

Then die, dear rose, as I would gladly do 
To win for him one moment of delight. 



A VICTORY. 25 



A VICTORY. 

FOR all life's joys my proud heart uttereth 
No vain desire. For since I am denied 

The one great bhss, I will have nought beside. 
Yet I am fain to conquer life with death ; 

And so, O Love, when I am done with pride. 
Come thou and kiss to stillness my last breath ; 
Let the last voice I hear be thine, that saith 

" I love thee ! " so shall I die satisfied. 
Then, when on my dead face some sad eyes dwell. 

Some loving hearts make bitter moan, and some, 
More loving yet, smile, saying, " It is well ! " 

How will all marvel at the sweetness come 

So strangely to my Ups, not knowing this, — 

It is the radiance left by thy last kiss ! 



2 6 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



PSYCHE'S LAMP. 

HOW sad a task unto all womankind, 
O sweet, suspicious Psyche, didst thou set ! 

For eyes too clear too oft with tears are wet, 
And heart-aimed darts are happiest when they blind. 
Ah, who like thee shall seek, and hope to find 

In Love's dear place a god? And who hath yet 

Too close his image scanned without regret? — 
That poison plant amid the roses twined. 

Better the midnight of illusive bliss ! 
Better to still the restless, wistful doubt, 

That bids us rise and shiver in the damp. 
Chill air, alert to spy Love's frailties out ! 

Better his voice, his clasp, his clinging kiss ! 

O Psyche, wherefore didst thou light thy lamp ? 



AJV ANTIQUE INTAGLIO. 27 



AN ANTIQUE INTAGLIO. 



GREAT cities that defied Time's power are dust, 
And mighty temples ruins ; yet this gem, 
Seeming a fragile thing, outliveth them. 

Its beauty bears no trace of Time's keen thrust ; 

Undimmed the marvellous lustre that doth trust 
To none its secret j every delicate line 
Glows with immortal freshness and divine, 

That fears no ravage of decay or rust. 

How infinite is art ! A magic glass 

This tiny, chiselled disk becomes to me ; 

Greece and her glories rise and shine and pass 
Before my dazzled eyes, then fade to wan 
And spectral shores, where the ^Egean Sea 
Guards the lone ruins of the Parthenon. 



28 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



AN ANTIQUE INTAGLIO. 



OO infinitely small we scarce may trace 
*^ The magic touches of the graver's hand ; 

And yet so great that Time himself doth stand 
With envious gaze, all powerless to efface. 
Here lies the power and skill and wondrous grace 

That might the stateliest palaces have planned ; 

And one soul's lifelong toil perchance is spanned 
Within this little circle's narrow space. 

Was he content, the artist? Did he burn 
With ardent pride and sweet creative bliss 

O'er thy perfected loveliness, nor yearn 
For wider spheres and mightier work than this ? 

Or from thy beauty would he sadly turn. 
And sigh, and gaze on the Acropolis? 



GUERDON. 29 



GUERDON. 

/'^NE said : " In all the world can nought compare 
^^ With this, my store of jewels. See them there : 
Diamonds that shame the stars ; rubies whose blaze 
Outflames the sunset ; opals whose weird rays 
Are prisoned moonlight ; this great topaz globe 
Of glory stolen from a Sun-god's robe. 
But one pearl hast thou, — poor, as all may see. 
Yet, lo, I lack it. Give it unto me / " 

One said : " My palace domes in splendor rise ; 

A hundred windows open to the skies ; 

My halls with countless treasures are made bright, 

And filled with sunshine, for I love the light. 

Therefore it irks me in my revelling 

To find one nook where still the shadows cling ; 

Thy love's small lamp, though faint, methinks is clear. 

And will suffice to light it. Biirti thou here / " 



30 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 

One said : " My castle walls are grandly planned ; 

And though the earth should tremble, they shall stand. 

And my great foe, whose armies throng the plain, 

Shall hurl his might against them all in vain. 

Yet, stay, one little breach I can descry. 

That some too-daring enemy may try. 

Thou art but frail, yet braver must I spare 

For nobler, dearer service. Stand thou there I " 

I gave my jewel up, and went my ways. 

Smiling, but empty-handed, all my days. 

I burnt my heart out to its last, faint spark. 

And thenceforth dwelt in cold and dearth and dark. 

I flung my body in the breach, and drew 

The fiercest fire, and fell, pierced through and through 

With the last darts sped by the flying foe. 

And my reward? They who most love, best know ! 



DEATH'S FIRST LESSON. 31 



DEATH'S FIRST LESSON. 

THREE sad, strange things already death hath 
shown 
To me who Hved but yesterday. My love, 
Who loved to kiss my hands and lips above 
All other joys, — whose heart upon my own 
So oft has throbbed, — fears me, now hfe has flown, 
And shuddering turns away. The friend who strove 
My trust to win, and all my faith did prove, 
Sees, in my pale, still form, a bar o'erthrown 
To some most dear desire. While one who spake 
No fond and flattering word of love or praise, 
Who only cold and stern reproof would give 
To all my foolish, unconsidered ways, — 

This one would glad have died that I might live ; 
This heart alone lies broken for my sake. 



32 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



VANTAGE-GROUND. 

WHO always can discern pale, sad defeat 
From shining victory ? Look where they 
rise, — 
Those radiant mountains piercing the bright skies 

That we two climbed with eager steps and fleet. 

Midway I faltered, fell, and sought more sweet. 
Less perilous scenes. He gained the heights, but lies 
With mangled Hmbs and wide, unseeing eyes. 

The world beneath, the clouds his winding-sheet. 
I walk in safety my low, level land. 
My golden harvests ripe on either hand ; 

Yet sometimes hath my soul in longing cried, 

" Death hath no pain, life hath no joy denied, 
If where he stood I might a moment stand. 

And see the things that he saw ere he died." 



SECOND BLOOM. ZZ 



SECOND BLOOM. 

IN fruitage-time we do not look for flowers ; 
Yet we may see on some October day, 
Allured by autumn's faithless sun and showers, 

Beside the ripened fruit, the bloom of May. 

It holds no hope of summer, glad and gay ; 
No pledge of future wealth its beauty dowers j 
The first autumnal storm that darkly lowers 

Shall sweep its sweet, untimely life away. 
Oh, fair our toil-won, garnered harvests are, 

And bright our teeming orchards' store of gold ; 

And sweet the clusters bending from our bowers, 

That all their glories of fulfilment hold ; 
But fairer, sweeter, yea, and dearer far 

The fruitless blossoms of our autumn hours. 



34 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



TWO LIVES. 

/^^NE, restless, changeful, ardent, as the sea ; 

^^ One, peaceful as a sheltered mountam lake. 
The same fierce storm, whose faintest voice can wake 

The one to passionate grief or joy, will be 
Unto the other but a breeze to make 

Light ripples o'er its clear tranquillity. 

One reaches to all shores, and would be free 
On every fair and shining strand to break ; 
One nestles in its narrow bounds, and seems 

Content to mirror its own hills and skies. 

But still the sea's low moanings never cease ; 
Still the calm lake grows tremulous with dim dreams ; 

'Neath passion and repose vain longing lies. 

One knows no ecstasy ; one knows no peace ! 



OUT OF SILENCE. 35 



OUT OF SILENCE. 

TN wildernesses where no living thing 

-■- Hath ventured Nature's secrets to explore, 

The seal of silence on each mystic door 
She sets. Hushed are the soft winds' murmuring, 

Voiceless the tempest, stilled the thunder's roar, 
And echoless the hills ; till life doth bring 
The hearing ear, that, longing, listening. 

The spell of silence breaks forevermore. 
So in my heart each loving, tender thought 

Lay mute and still, and knew nor voice nor tongue 
Until thy presence filled my soul, and brought 

Expression to my lips. Then sudden sprung 
These songs to life, that but for thee were nought. 

Hadst thou not Hstenedy they had not been sung. 



36 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



TWO GUESTS. 

LOVE was ere while my guest, but did outstay 
His welcome in my heart. Be it confessed 

I wearied of his raptures, his unrest. 
His smiles, his tears, his too capricious sway. 
At last, with show of grief, Love went his way, 

Leaving me free to bid a nobler guest. 

Now is my dwelHng garnished, swept, and dressed 
With rarest bloom, for him who comes to-day. 

Ah, what new worlds of joy we two shall trace ! 
What clear, calm realms of thought we shall explore ! 

Yet do I thrill beneath this first embrace 
With the old bliss and pain I knew of yore. 
Can this be he whose presence I forswore ? 

Can this be Love with a new voice and face ? 



BY LOVE-LIGHT. 37 



BY LOVE-LIGHT. 

I HID my dearest folly from all eyes, 
But most from his, my fondest, wisest friend. 

The frailty I could love but not defend, 
I feared lest he should fathom and despise. 
But when, one rarest hour 'neath evening skies. 

Our Love her lamp to Confidence did lend, 
E'en though it faintly flickered with his sighs. 

Therewith he lit his whole heart to its end. 
I smiled to see a dear and foohsh thought 

Enshrined within his soul's most secret place. 
'' Fear not," I cried, '' to have thy folly shown ; 
No greater joy hath all thy wisdom wrought. 

Now is thy love the measure of all grace, 
Know, sweet, my friend, thy folly is my own ! " 



38 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



THE SEA'S SPELL. 

BENEATH thy spell, O radiant summer sea, — 
Lulled by thy voice, rocked on thy shining 
breast. 

Fanned by thy soft breath, by thy touch caressed, — 
Let all thy treacheries forgotten be. 
Let me still dream the ships I gave to thee 

All golden-freighted in fair harbors rest ; 

Let me believe each sparkling wave's white crest 
Bears from thy depths my loved and lost to me. 

Let me not heed thy wrecks, nor count thy slain. 
As o'er- fond lovers for love's sake forget 
Their dearest wrongs, so I, with eyes still wet 

With thy salt tears, with heart still wrung with pain, 

Back to thy fierce, sweet beauty turn again. 
And though thou wreck me, will I love thee yet ! 



BY WAYS. 39 



BYWAYS. 

WALK, if thou wilt, thy hfe's broad highway, 
friend ; 

To some fair tower of fame perchance 't will lead. 

Some shining dome of wealth. With eager speed 
Pursue the path that all the world doth wend ; 
At least, thy road Hes level to its end. 

But, oh, the byways sweet thou dost not heed. 

Straying through wood and glade and blooming 
mead, 
In idle paths that nowhere seem to tend, 

Save to a sweet surprise of vale or sea, — 
A sudden, rapturous glimpse of heaven ! All this, 

I know, hath neither charm nor lure for thee ; 

Yet in these nameless ways there well may be 
Some happy chance that thou wilt grieve to miss, — 

Some golden gate of opportunity ! 



40 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



VASHTI. 

NO queen, O Vashti, o'er the earth shall reign 
With mightier rule than thine, whose royal 
crown 

Was yielded up, — whose sceptre was laid down, 
With all the power and glory in thy train, — 
Lest one defiling glance should soil or stain 

The beauty that blushed not to win renown, 

That paled not at thy tyrant's fatal frown. 
While courtiers plead, and flatterers fawned in vain. 

Great queen, discrowned, supplanted, yet how wise ! 

For loveliness unseen of mortal eyes 
Fades never, nor do guarded charms grow poor. 

While the world swings, shall man remember thee ; 
And Esther's blazoned beauty pale before 

The Hght of thy imperial chastity. 



POTIPHAR'S WIFE. 41 



POTIPHAR'S WIFE. 

T^HE dazzling gems that shone in her attire, 

-■- Could 'neath her gleaming eyes no lustre 
claim ; 

Her beauty glowed about her like a flame, 
Fed by the splendor of her passion's fire. 
Snared in the fatal web of her desire, 

A glittering serpent, writhing in her shame ; 

Her blood, like molten metal, went and came, 
In the hot conflict of her love and ire. 

At last her passion, fierce, insatiate, 
Stifled with its own fury, dully slept. 

As livid ashes gather slow, where late 
The flames their glowing revelries have kept. 
So, over burning brow and bosom, crept 

The cold, gray pallor of her deadly hate ! 



42 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



LOVE'S GIFT. 

I ASKED for bread ; you gave, O Love, a stone. 
I spurned it not, but while I starved, I wrought 
Its dulness into Hght, until it caught 
The radiance of the clearest star that shone. 
So this poor pebble to a gem has grown, 

And kings to wear it in their crowns have sought, 
Counting to this their rarest pearls as nought ; 
And at your feet, dear Love, I lay your own. 
Now, though I die of hunger, wanting bread, 
Yet have I joy, knowing it will be said 
By all men gazing on this peerless gem, 
'* Lo, Love's least gift, though given in careless scorn. 
Outshines the fairest jewels that adorn 

An Eastern monarch's royal diadem ! 



TO MY HOST. 43 



TO MY HOST. 

AT life's great banquet long I sat and late, 
Among the eager throng of guests the least. 

I found no comfort in the clamorous feast, 
No glory in the wearying pomp and state. 

I drank of wealth, while yet my thirst increased ; 
I tasted fame, and wildly strove to sate 
Desire in pleasure's cup, — O joyless fate ! 

But when the lights burned low, and music ceased. 
And tired revellers departed slow, 

One came whose smile my sad heart lifted up. 

And poured, and pledged me in Love's golden cup. 
I drank with rapturous wonder, crying, '' Lo, 

Though many guests have feasted here and passed, 

Yet hast thou kept the good wine till the last ! " 



44 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



MY BROTHER'S KEEPER. 

T CALLED him faint of heart, in spirit poor ; 
-■- I said, '' O brother, for all such as thee 

The world is full of snares and subtlety ! 
How little art thou fitted to endure 

The ills thy weakness brings ! Let my strength be 
Thy constant shield. My vision swift and sure 
Shall pierce the darkest depths of every lure 

About our paths. I '11 lead thee ; lean on me ! " 
But when with subtlest art temptation wove 

Round our unwary souls her fairest spell ; 

When lust of power and wealth, and love as well, 
Their keenest shafts against dear Honor drove ; 
When in her cause I and my brother strove, — 

Behold ! he conquered grandly — but I fell ! 



A CONFESSION. 45 



A CONFESSION. 

NO chain is stronger than its weakest link. 
It is a truth we did not feel, I think, 
When we our mighty love -ties forged, and cried, 
" Nor earth nor heaven our souls can e'er divide ! 

Now, worlds asunder, though in gloom we go, 
And darkly hint at " cruel Fate," I know 
The thing that really parted you and me 
Was a light blow you dealt my vanity. 



46 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



THE SINGERS. 

ONE, blind, has taught how beauty should be 
sung; 

One, deaf, all silence tuned to music sweet ; 

From one who wandered honieless in the street, 
A rapturous, deathless song of home was wrung. 
How many a paean of victory has sprung 

From pallid lips, grown nerveless with defeat \ 

How many empty hearts must sadly greet 
Their own love-songs on happier lovers' tongue ! 

As some rare fabrics are in darkness wrought 
Lest light should mar the dainty web, so, too. 

The poet, with a golden thread of thought, 
Weaves in the shade his fancies fine and true. 

So from his sorrow is your pleasure brought. 
The joy he hath not doth he give to you ! 



WHEN HE COMES. 47 



WHEN HE COMES. 

I WOULD not have Love's presence every day 
Dimmed with my dreary romid of common care ; 

I would not with too frequent use outwear 
His dear dehghts, nor weight his wings with clay. 
Nay, rather let him come as monarch may, 

Unto some sacred festival and rare ; 

Let me to greet him, house and heart prepare, 
Setting my life in all its best array. 
What though the days that darkly intervene 

Are frozen wastes ! The shining heights enthrone 
The sunset's glow, while, shivering unseen, 

The low vales hide. Dear Memory's eyes, alone. 

Count the bright hours whereon love's light hath 
shone, 
Nor heed the darkness that doth he between. 



48 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



BOUNTY. 

IT needs must be, from all thine harvests bright, 
That I may glean one sheaf unmissed of thee ; 

And from thy cup that brims abundantly 
Some drops may cool my thirsty lips aright. 
It needs must be, that from thy life's great light 

Some shining rays may fall aslant on me ; 

And these my food, and drink, and fire shall be, 
Through winter's dearth and darkness, day and night. 

Ah, if our angels keep the record true 

Of all the unconscious good we haply do. 
How will the page that thy bright name doth bless 

With love's most precious radiance glow and shine ! 

Nor less the grace, nor less the gift divine 
Because of thy serene unconsciousness. 



ONE OF MANY. 49 



ONE OF MANY. 

" TDE true to me." This ever is Love's plea. 

-LI And yet, " Be true to me," I do not say 

To thee, my love, who loveth truth alway, 
More, even, than love's supremest ecstasy. 
For sweeter songs than mine are sung to thee ; 

And fairer lives, flower-like, unfold each day. 

My bloom but helps to make the summer gay ; 
My voice but serves to swell life's harmony. 

The channels of thy soul are deep and wide. 

And fed from many springs. Ah, poor indeed 
The shallow love that would deny thy due 

To all sweet streams save its own narrow tide ! 

I know thy needs ; and so I do not plead 
As one who loveth less, "To me be true." 



50 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



A SONG'S WORTH. 

I MADE a song for my dear love's delight ; 
I wrought with all sweet words my heart could 
lend 

To longing lips, and thrilled with joy to send 
The message only love could read aright. 
He came ; and while I trembled in his sight, 

He kissed my hands and said, " To what sweet end, 

Unknowing, hast thou wrought, O gentle friend ? 
Singing thy song, I learned to woo, despite 

My loved one's frown ; and now she is my own." 
Blessing me then, he went his happy way. 

The whole world sings my song, and I alone 
Am silent ; yet through tears I sometimes say, 

"To which of us doth greater joy belong? 

He hath his love ; but I, — I have my song." 



QUEST. 51 



QUEST. 

A S one who tireless seeks, night after night, 
-^^^ Some far-off, nebulous star that doth elude 

The eye of science, — noting every mood 
Of changing skies, and deeming every bright 
Resplendent orb but meant to guide his sight 

To that dim, distant ray, — so do I brood 

Upon thy far, faint thoughts, whose solitude 
I may not break ; so by my love's great light 

Would I thy subtle, fleeting fancies gain, 
More than the shining thoughts thou dost not hide. 

Ah me ! The student shall attain his goal ; 

But I thy lightest mood shall seek in vain ; 
For all God's universe is not so wide 

As the eternal boundaries of thy soul ! 



52 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



HAIL. 

I MEANT to fall, a soft, sweet, summer shower, 
With tender touch upon the fainting earth, 
Redeeming field and hill from drought and dearth, 
A gift of life to every leaf and flower. 

One icy blast froze all my love to hate, 

And changed me from a blessing to a blight. 
Behold dead harvests, and young leaves in flight. 

Bare, fruitless vines, and rose-bowers desolate ! 

O winds of Fate ! O'er all the universe 

Though ye blow swift or slow, for good or ill ; 
No sadder task the gods shall bid you fill, 

Than this, — that turns love's blessing to a curse. 



AT FRIENDS' MEETING. 53 



AT FRIENDS' MEETING. 

SUNSHINE and shadow o'er unsculptured walls 
Hang tremulous curtains, radiant and fair ; 
The breath of Summer perfumes all the air ; 

Afar the wood-bird trills its tender calls. 

More eloquent than chanted rituals, 

Subtler than odors swinging censers bear, 
Purer than hymns of praise or passionate prayer, 

The silence hke a benediction falls. 

The still, slow moments softly slip along 
The endless thread of thought ; a holy throng 

Of memories, long prisoned, find release. 
The sacred sweetness of the hour has lent 
These quiet faces, calm with deep content. 

And one world-weary soul alike, the hght of peace. 



54 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



M 



CAPRICE. 

Y portals wide I set, 

And garnished my abode with 
tender care ; 
I spread a dainty feast, and filled the air 
With perfumes of the rose and violet. 
I bade Joy weave a net, 
And Mirth and Music lay a subtle snare. 
To lure dear Love into my dwelling fair. 

In vain ! With mocking lip and scornful eye. 
He passed me by ! 

Now all my lights are dim ; 
Cheerless and cold my hearth ; while Pain and Care 
Have banished all the joys were gathered there. 
Yet Love, who came not when I beckoned him. 
Still following Folly's whim. 
Shivers, unwelcomed, by my hearthstone bare. 
And fills with piteous pleas the wintry air. 

In vain I spurn him with a frowning " No ! " 
He will not go ! 



STORM SIGNALS. 55 



STORM SIGNALS. 

GRAY clouds flit to and fro above the sea, 
Pale phantoms of wrecked ships that seek in 
vain 

Forgotten ports. Back from the darkening main 
A hundred white sails to the harbor flee, 
Like frightened children to their mother's knee. 

Deep calleth unto deep with cries of pain ; 

While the imprisoned billows strive and strain 
Wildly against their rocky boundary. 

The rising fog its mighty shadow flings. 
Quenching the last foam- light that marks the bar ; 
The wild winds rave ; the storm- flag from its spar 

Waves a fierce menace to all living things 

Save one undaunted bird, whose flickering wings 
Gleam through the darkness like a falling star. 



THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



MY SERVICE. 

" T IKE water to the thirsty." Oh, how sweet 
-L-^ The tender words I, trembhng, hear thee say. 
I know, dear heart, what great dehght have they 

Who pour for thee the wine of Hfe, and greet 

Thy coming with glad feasts, and at thy feet 
All love's divinest treasures lightly lay. 
I know — ah, well — for mirthful, festal day 

Or love-sweet night my service is not meet. 

I, standing in the shadow, wait alone 

The hour, when, faint and worn and weary, thou 
Shalt lean thy fevered head upon my breast, 
And bid me cool with water lips and brow ; 

Then, if thou rise refreshed and go, nor moan 

Nor murmur shall be mine ; still am I wholly blest. 



IN APRIL. 57 



IN APRIL. 

WHEREFORE, O violet, hast thou bloomed so 
soon? 
And why, O bird, so early hast thou flown 
From the safe circle of thy southern zone ? 

Why, flower, didst thou mistake for summer noon 

The dawn's dim rays? And why, O bird, attune 
Thy song to April's sighs? Had ye but known. 
Ye might through rose-sweet days have sung and 
shone. 

Ye might have made the glory of the June. 

Alas, O bird, O bloom, O heart unwise ! 

Ye sought a changeless sun in changeful skies. 
Your scanty share of life and love. Fate throws 
With niggard hand across the melting snows. 

Ye shall not greet the summer with love's eyes, 
Nor hear the nightingale, nor see the rose ! 



58 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



THE PRAIRIE. 

CONCEIVED in Nature's calmest mood, it lies, 
Lovely and limitless, on earth's broad breast. 
Far, far behind, beyond, with storms opprest. 
The wild seas roll, and struggling mountains rise. 
Here all is peace. The infinite blue of skies 
And bloom of earth invites the soul to rest ; 
Here only sweet monotony seems blest ; 
Here life's horizon widens to mine eyes. 
O happy plain, that woos me to forget 

Awhile the seas I rode 'mid storm and stress. 
The hills I climbed with passion, pain, and strife, 
And all the toil and grief that waits me yet ! 
How dost thy gracious beauty fill and bless 
These calm, clear, midland levels of my life ! 



MV FAMILIAR. 59 



MY FAMILIAR. 

T CALLED him "Aspiration" when he came 
-•- And whispered softly in my wilHng ear : 

'' O fooHsh soul, why dost thou linger here, 
O'er sordid toil that puts thy powers to shame, 
That brings thee neither love nor gold nor fame ? 

The path to power and pleasure lieth clear ; 
Leave this low work to meaner hands, and aim 

For loftier duties and a nobler sphere." 
He took my hand, and where he bade, I went 

Till youth and strength and happiness were fled ; 
And only when my years were nearly spent 

In restless longings, and when hope was dead, 

I saw the wan, sad face of him who led. 
And knew at last his true name, " Discontent." 



6o THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



LOVE'S LARGESS. 



T OVE gave to me in trust a bounteous store 
-*— ^ Of her most precious wealth, and bade me be 

Her almoner, — made my eyes quick to see 
The world's wide needs, the empty hearts and poor, 
And filled my soul each hour more and more 

With joy to do her will. Then came to me 

All such as craved dear Love's sweet ministry, 
And in her name I opened wide my door. 

For every thirsty soul I poured my wine ; 
For every hungry heart I broke my bread ; 

I bade my fires, love-lighted, glow and shine 
Along the path their weary feet must tread, 

And added to each gift some joy of mine ; 
And these went each his own way, comforted. 



LOVE'S LARGESS. 6i 



But when I fain had bent my lonely feet 

Beside some loved one's steps a httle space, 

Or sought in some dear heart a resting-place, 
All men cried out in anger : " 'T is not meet 
That thou shouldst crave our tenderness, or greet 

Our eyes with smiles, who do not seek thy face. 

Thy light, that lighteth many, lacketh grace ; 
Thy gifts, too gladly given, are not sweet. 

Thou shouldst have poured into one shallow cup 
The brimming measure of thy life's rare wine ; 

Sent from one narrow shrine thine incense up. 
And seen in all the heavens but one star shine ! 

What is this Love that seeketh not her own? 

Foolish and full of shame ! Walk thou alone ! " 



62 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



A WINTER GIFT. 

TS it a flower, indeed, this airy thing, 

-*- Sweet as the thought that sent it unto me, 

And yet so frail, one soft, Hght kiss would be 
Caress too harsh, one tear its deluge bring? 
Nay, 't is a feather from a fairy's wing, — 

A far, faint thought, a tender memory. 

Perchance a little fluttering hope set free. 
The ghost of some sweet hour of some sweet spring. 
Whate'er it be, my longing heart divines 

Its infinite power ; across my wintry skies 
It flits, and lo, the golden summer shines ! 

And while I gaze with wistful tear-dimmed eyes, 

I see the everlasting hills arise, 
I hear the voice of the eternal pines. 



A BATTLE-GROUND. 63 



A BATTLE-GROUND. 

" I ^HIS is the field whereon I found defeat. 
-^ Here, wounded, faint, I faltered ; here I fell. 

If great my cause, if feebly fought or well, — 
Victor, not vanquished, shall the tale repeat. 
For me, one memory alone, complete 

With shame, these sobbing winds may knell ; 

These whispering rains one piteous story tell 
To this stained sod they never may make sweet. 

Yet lo, the tender earth with breast o'ertrod 
By the red feet of strife, doth love to spread 
A fairer verdure where her sons have bled ; 

And so, sad heart, from thy dishonored sod 
Some flower of faith may lift its radiant head. 

Purer than peace, sweet as the pity of God. 



64 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



WHEN WE HAVE SAID FARE\VELL. 

WHEN we have said farewell, I pray you keep 
No fading image of me in your heart. 

Sit not a mourner in Love's house apart, 
Nor bitter tears, and unavailing, weep. 
Rather set all his portals wide, and sweep 

And garnish his fair halls with every art ; 

Bring hghts, bid guests ; music and mirth will 
start 
Regret's pale ghost to flight, lull pain to sleep. 

For surely Love, — all bounteous, who hath cast 
His glory round us, sparing not to bless 

With ecstasy supreme the sweet days past, — 
He who hath lavished all delights, no less 

Will keep for us till time of need, his last. 
Most gracious gift of all, — forgetfulness. 



COMPANIONSHIP. 65 



COMPANIONSHIP. 

A BALL of clay on me my love bestows 
Of her dear grace. Mere clay it seems when 
dry; 

But when its uses in the bath I try, 
With rapturing scents the water overflows. 
"What wondrous art," I cry, " can thus enclose 

Such wealth of perfume rare ? " It doth reply : 

'' Nought but a lump of common earth am I, 
But for a while companioned with a rose." 
'T is ever thus, O Love, from thee is shed 

Fragrance divine, where'er thy touch may fall. 
It fills the breeze that blows about thy head. 

The singing streams that ever to thee call. 
The wan old earth that thrills beneath thy tread ; 

And this sad heart of mine, ah, most of all ! 



66 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



A PORTRAIT. 

I .^YES that can pierce the secrets of the skies 
J—v And find the earliest violet. Lips that glow 

With loftiest eloquence, and yet do know 
With what sweet tones to still a baby's cries. 
Strong hands that bear great burdens, yet despise 

No love-wrought service, howsoever low. 

A brain that flames with swiftest thought, yet slow 
And patient lights the way for dimmer eyes. 

A heart of gold, in only such degree 
Alloyed with worldly wisdom as shall make 
Pure metal fitter for the give and take 

Of Life's rough usages. Lo, here you see 
A man whom all men love to honor, while 
One woman finds her heaven in his smile ! 



SPARROW AND SKYLARK. 67 



SPARROW AND SKYLARK. 

T^OR one sweet song the soaring skylark trills 
-■- In silvery showers through the summer air, 

A thousand sparrows twitter everywhere 
Their tuneless notes about our window-sills. 
One is the poet's ecstasy, that thrills 

The listening, longing soul with visions rare, 

And one the common prose of daily care. 
That all our toiling round of duty fills. 
Sing on, O skylark ! High and sweet and strong 

Above the clouds thy raptured carols float. 
How are earth's cries of pain and grief and wrong 

Lulled by the music of thy wondrous throat ! 
Yet some sad souls, too low to heed thy song. 

May still be cheered by the dull sparrow's note. 



68 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



SONG OF THE STARS. 

CALLETH the nearest star 
Unto the farthest star : 
" O thou dear hght divine, 
Shining so far, 

Lean from thy lonely height. 
Lend thou to me 
One ray of all the light 
That lighteth thee, 
Drawn like a golden line 
'Twixt thee and me." 

Answereth the farthest star 

Unto the nearest star : 

" Love's lamps are we, that light 

Her heaven afar ; 

Out of the infinite dark 

Her touch doth fall. 



SOA^G OF THE STARS. 69 

Binding with lines of light 
Great unto small, 
Till her swift flying spark 
Doth light us all." 



70 THE WINGS OF ICARUS, 



PHILIP BOURKE MARSTON. 

OUT of thy darkness what a light was poured, 
Out of thy bitter cup a draught how sweet, 
Poet of grief, who kissed pale Sorrow's feet, 

And sang her as a lover his adored, 

In such rare measures that she wears assured 
A glory beyond joy ! while yet each beat 
Of thy great heart tolled out a life replete 

With heavy, hopeless anguish, long endured. 
O infinite genius, that doth win from pain 
A gift of peace, wherewith to heal, to bless ; 

That draweth all things sweet from all things sad ! 
Lo, in thy presence, even death doth gain 
Such gracious mien, such pitying tenderness. 

That we who loved thee weep not, but are glad. 



IMMORTELLES. 7^ 



B 



IMMORTELLES. 

ENEATH the glories of a tropic sky 

These fadeless flowers whitened into bloom ; 

They had their share of sunshine and perfume, 
Their hour of joy with bee and butterfly ; 
They saw their kindred blossoms faint and die, 

Yet felt no chiU of death, no frost of doom ; 

The summer darkened into winter's gloom. 
But left untouched their perfect purity. 

Now are they wreathed in memory of one 
More fair than they ; whose beauty only dwells 
In this sweet picture, crowned with mimortelles. 

They live ; but she, whose bloom was scarce begun, 
Lies wrapped in silence, underneath the snow, 
In that sad sleep of death they cannot know. 



72 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



DAWN. 

WITH still, slow footsteps over hills and streams 
She glides, sheathing the old moon's scimitar 

And quenching, with her cold breath, star by star. 
The pallid ghost of some dead day she seems, 
Doomed to a sad unrest. Her wan face gleams 

Through my dim room, despite of bolt or bar. 

She drives my sweet companion. Sleep, afar. 
Strips from my soul its shining robe of dreams, 
And wraps it in the coarse, gray garb of care. 
Ah, there are some, sad Dawn, who find thee fair. 

To whom thou comest with smiles and greetings 

gay; 

But I, — I murmur not, if but I may 
Unhindered turn, with no new grief to bear. 
Back to the unfinished toil of yesterday. 



DOUBT. 73 



I 



DOUBT. 

STOOD the form of my dead Doubt beside ; 
I closed the piteous, yearning eyes, and set 
The wan Umbs straight, and smoothed the shroud, 
and wet 

With tears remorseful the white face ; then cried : 

'' O spirit restless, sad, unsatisfied, 

Sleep thou in peace at last ! The endless fret 
And torture of thy moods let me forget ! 

The pain thy presence wrought, with thee has died ; 
And some fair flowers of faith perchance may bloom 
The brighter that they blossom o'er thy tomb. 

Farewell ! " I went my ways ; but lo, about 
My heart a deadly clutch ; lo, in my ear 
The old, despairing, anguished cry of fear ; 

Lo, at my side, the wraith of my dead Doubt ! 



74 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



A FORSAKEN GARDEN. 

THE garden of our love, with dearest care 
So long encircled, desolate now, and lone ; 
Its storm-swept beds with alien weeds o'ergrown ; 
Its rose-crowned bowers, empty, bleak, and bare ; 
The lilies of our hopes, that pure as prayer 

Sent up their incense, withered lie, and prone ; 
And dead those passionate tropic blooms that shone 
And glowed beneath the sunbeam's kisses there. 
No flower is here that it were even meet 
To lay on brow or breast of any bride, 

To press between dead fingers, or to bless 
A quiet grave. No bloom is here, beside 
This herb of memory they call '•' Bitter-sweet," 
And violets, frozen to forgetfulness. 



THE WAVE'S DEATH. 75 



THE WAVE'S DEATH. 

TS it a dream of some sweet unknown land, 

-*- That thrills the trembling wave far out at sea? 

What strange, wild longing draws resistlessly 
The eager waters to an unknown strand ? 
Unhindered by the tempest's mighty hand. 

From lure of sunny skies and soft winds free. 

They hurry on in passionate ecstasy. 
And breaking, die upon the faithless sand. 

O restless soul, whose every yearning breath 
Is full of vague desires and sweet, dim dreams, 
Across thy far horizon glows and gleams 

The dazzling land where passion beckoneth ; 
Yet shalt thou find, fair as the vision seems, 

Like the lost v/ave upon the shore, but death. 



76 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



EAST WIND. 

OSAD East Wind, thy bitter sobs and sighs 
Waken the meadows from their dream of 
bloom ; 
Thy dark wings veil the distant hills with gloom, 
And dim the glories of the April skies. 
Before thy frowning face the sweet Spring flies ; 
Thine icy blast is like the breath of doom. 
Ah, is there not one heart to give thee room, 
One voice to praise thee, whom all men despise, 
O sad East Wind ? 

Yea, one ! For me no sweeter zephyr dies 
On beds of roses rapturous with perfume ; 
No voice so soft as thine, that doth assume 
The thunder's tone, yet speeds in tempest guise 
My darling back to Love's own paradise, 
O glad East Wind ! 



ONE VOICE. 77 



ONE VOICE. 

A MONO my native pines, the strong swift breeze 
-^ ^ Bears me a greeting from the woods and hills, 

With voice so Hke the ocean's roar, it fills 
My heart with longing for the summer seas. 
But when on shining sands 1 lie at ease, 

While the wave's murmuring my spirit stills, 

Lo ! the deep tone that all my being thrills, 
Seems but an echo from my forest trees. 
So, 'mid the discords of life's fret and jar, 
Some radiant joy falls like a flying star, 

And blending tenderly with grief or mirth. 

Reveals the paradise that gave it birth. 
And so, methinks, will heaven be dearer far, 

Holding that one joy that was mine on earth. 



78 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



A LESSON IN HORTICULTURE. 

SHE turned upon me her soft, clear eyes, 
Limpid as mountain brooks. 
" If you wish your flowers to thrive," she said, 
" You must give them loving looks." 

I smiled and mused, if the whole sad world 
Might be nurtured in this sweet way, 

Life would be full of flowers and fruit, 
And December would bloom like May. 

But, ah, there are timid buds of faith 

That a scornful word may chill ; 
And smiles of hope upon tender lips 

That a frosty frown may kill ; 

And trembling hearts that faint and fade 

In the wintry winds of blame, 
And these will their sweetness only yield 

When cherished in love's dear name ! 



A LESSON IN HORTICULTURE. 79 

So, poet-maiden, go shed your lore 
O'er the wisdom of men and books ; 

And the desert shall blossom as the rose, 
In the light of your " loving looks." 



8o THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



IN WINTER. 

DEAR, chide me not, this is love's winter-time. 
My fields you trod in bloom are white with 
snow; 
My springs that to your song kept happy chime 

Beneath their icy bonds move sad and slow. 
My birds have fled into some happier clime ; 
My short day speeds to lingering darkness ; so 
You call me false and changed, and will not know. 
This coldness is my sorrow, not my crime. 

Ah, while you love, though loved again no more. 
Still shall the summer bloom within your heart ; 
Still from life's bright and all-abundant store 
Some share of joy shall fall unto your lot. 
And though you love me, and I love you not. 
Remember this, — mine is the sadder part ! 



SORROW AND SONG. 8i 



SORROW AND SONG. 

I KNOW a lovely land, all blossoming 
With summer's dearest joys : soft breezes sway 

Over the sun-swept fields ; each radiant day 
Dawns on delight, and dying, still doth cling 
To perfect night with loving lingering. 

Yet doth a haunting silence dwell alway 

Among the shining hills, — no tender lay 
Thrills through the scented groves; no sweet birds 

sing. 
But, oh, I do remember one lone vale 

Forsaken of the sun, yet all night long 
The heavenly music of the nightingale 

The darkness floods with rapture deep and strong. 
Ah ! joy is silent ; but I shall not fail 

To find in sorrow's shadow some dear song. 



82 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



AN OLD FAN. 

WAVE it but lightly to and fro, 
This lovely fan so old and rare, 
And over memory's sultry air 
The soft sweet winds of long ago 
Shall faintly blow. 

The pages of life's vanished days 
Its fluttering breezes shall unfold ; 
And stories sweet and pictures old 

Shall greet your tender, wistful gaze 
While this fan plays. 

What fate has spared a thing so frail, 

From Time's rude touch or careless whim ? 
Yet has it seen bright eyes grow dim, 

And rosy cheeks grow cold and pale, 
And strong hands fail. 



AJ^ OLD FAN. 83 

'T is like a flickering sunbeam's ray ; 
'T is like a bird whose flying wing 
A message from far lands doth bring ; 

'T is like a beckoning hand, whose sway 
Calls us away. 

Still may its wavering to and fro 
Bring happy visions to your mind ; 
And may no ruder, harsher wind 

Than this old fan hath power to blow, 
Your life e'er know ! 



84 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



A FLOOD. 

ON weary wings the dove of my desire, 
Fainting and fluttering from her hopeless 
quest, 
Droops back into my heart, her lonely nest. 
A passionate deluge, strong and swift as fire 
O'erwhelms my soul, and rising ever higher, 
Leaves me still drifting helpless, east or west^ 
Listening for that one voice, whose great behest 
Alone can bid the wasting waves retire. 

Ah, yearning heart ! I know there is for thee 

No vision of the sweet green earth, no shade 
Of fragrant flower-clad hills or sheltering tree, 
No refuge from the ruin Hfe has made. 
But yet fly forth once more, O faithful dove ; 
Haply thou 'It bring at last one olive-leaf of love. 



AN ENIGMA. 85 



AN ENIGMA. 

IT is as trifling as the idle summer wind ; 
It is as mighty as the sea's resistless wave ; 
A breath may break it, or a touch may bind ; 
Dying each hour, it lives beyond the grave. 

It is the pastime of a careless holiday ; 

It is the guerdon of a lifelong toil and strife ; 
One shall obtain it but to fling away ; 

One shall not gain it though he gives his life. 

It may be purchased with a wanton's hghtest kiss, 
Or bought with honor, blood, and gold untold ; 

The veriest vagabond may spurn the bhss 

A king enthroned would yield his realms to hold. 

It has been many a martyr's glorious crown, 

And many an honored teacher's robe of shame ; 

Whoso upon its shrine lays all things down. 

Perchance the world may praise, perchance may 
blame. 



86 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 

All crimes, all benefits, are scattered from its hand ; 

On every tower its banners are unfurled ; 
Nations shed their best blood at its command, 

And with its lightest touch it sways the world. 



AFTER-POSSESSION. 87 



AFTER-POSSESSION. 

/^AF all Fate's crosses, saddest this to bear 

^^ And surest, — we shall seek some good denied, 

On every land and sea, afar and wide ; 
Seek it by day with toil, by night with prayer, 

And all in vain. But when desire has died, 
Behold the joy erewhile we deemed so fair 
Lies at our feet. Lo, we have ceased to care, 

And lightly spurn the bliss for which we sighed \ 
So comes to withered harvest-fields the rain ; 

So to unshriven dead the sacred wine ; 

And so, O heart that will not be estranged 
From thy desire most dear, — and ah, most vain, — 

One day the love thou cravest shall be thine, 

But only when thou 'rt still in death — or changed. 



88 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



A FANCY. 

TF every kiss I give my love 

-■- Should blush on her lips to a red, red rose ; 

What a bower of bloom, 

What an air of perfume, 
Would encircle my darling wherever she goes, 
My darling, more sweet than the sweetest red rose ! 

If every kiss I give my love 

Should fly from her lips as a bright wood- bird ; 

What a fluttering throng. 

What a chorus of song. 
Would make melody rarer than ears ever heard, 
Round my darling, more fair than the fairest spring bird ! 

If every kiss I give my love 

Should fall from her lips as a jewel of gold, 

What a fabulous dower. 

What a glittering shower. 
Would float round my darUng like Danae of old, — 
My darling, whose bright hair is brighter than gold ! 



A FANCY. 89 

Oh, what IS more sweet than a red, red rose ? 
And what is more fair than the breast of a dove ? 

And plenty of gold 

Is good to hold j 
But sweeter and fairer, and far, far above 
All other delights, is one kiss from my love. 



90 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



THE LIGHTED WAY. 

ONE dying said, '• It is not far to go, 
And all the way with love is lighted clear." 

O sweetest soul, whose heaven lay so near 
That all thy life was lighted from its glow, 
For thee and for us all God meant it so ; 

That His most perfect love should cast out fear. 

That we should find His heaven even here, — 
Amid our daily toils, — could we but know. 
Even as little children at their play, 

For safety learn to keep in sight of home, 
So, if our restless footsteps never stray 
Far from the lights of heaven, not in dismay 

Shall we at last to death's dread portals come. 
But joyful, led by Thee, — the Light, the Way. 



AN ASPIRATION, 



91 



AN ASPIRATION. 

T SAW the sparrows flitting here and there 
^ In quest of food about the miry street ; 

Such nameless fare as seems to sparrows sweet, 
They sought with greedy clamor everywhere ; 
Yet 'mid their strife I noted with what care 

They held upraised their fluttering pinions fleet ; 

They trod the mire with soiled and grimy feet, 
But kept their wings unsullied in the air. 

I too, like thee, O sparrow, toil to gain 
My scanty portion from life's sordid ways ; 

Like thee, too often hungry, I am fain 
To strive with greed and envy all my days. 
Oh, would that I, like thee, might learn the grace 

To keep my soul's uplifted wings from stain ! 



92 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



MY PART. 

THAT God hath need of even me, I know. 
Afar He plans His palaces, that rise 
In stately splendor to the shining skies, 

And day by day, more grand, more perfect grow ; 

While 1, in life's dark quarries, toihng slow, 
Hew the unshapely stones, that yet no guise 
Of beauty wear to my dim, weary eyes, 

'Neath my rude touch no grace or glory show. 
Elsewhere shall hands more skilful carve and gild 

My rough-hewn blocks, till they are meet to be 
A part of those bright walls that He doth build. ■ 
Therefore, O soul, be all thy murmurs stilled ; 

A place to work for Him he giveth thee, 

And to thy poor toil, immortality. 



A LESSO.V OF LOVE. 93 



A LESSON OF LOVE. 

"nr^ IS a sweet story, old, and often told, 

-^ Of Jesus when a child. 
Once, on a summer noon, beside the way 
He sat, and thus beguiled 
A lonely hour. With fingers swift, He rolled 
And deftly fashioned from the wayside clay, 
The forms of little birds, — 
The likeness of the sparrow that is sold 
For smallest coin ; the lark 

Whose distant wing gleamed like a golden spark ; 
The swallow darting swiftly to its prey. 

The sound of angry words 

Shattered the silence sweet. A Rabbi stood 

And sternly gave rebuke : '^ Go, idle boy. 

And seek forgiveness for thy wanton mood. 

God's law thou dost profane ; 

And holy Sabbath vainly thus employ, 

Shaping thy worthless toy." 



94 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 

Jesus looked up and smiled. 

He spoke no word, but gathered up again 

The little birds, wherewith He had beguiled 

The heart too young for care ; 

Breathed once upon them, tossed them in the air, — 

And, lo ! a rush of wings, a burst of song, 

A living, shining throng ! 

Dear Lord, with feeble hands and lifeless clay, 

All our poor deeds are wrought. 

We fain would give them wings that they might fly ; 

Yet, soulless, dead, they lie 

Scattered beside life's way. 

Breathe Thou, O Lord, one breath upon them, fraught 

With Thy dear love, and they shall soar and sing, 

Thy glory shining on each radiant wing. 



FROM LIFE'S LEVELS.'' 95 



FROM LIFE'S LEVELS. 



A T most, how small a part of earth's fair face 
-^ -^ Doth jealous Nature yield unto our sight ! 

She draws the horizon like a veil of light 
Across our view, and sets with scanty grace 
Her narrow bounds. Yet upturned eyes may trace, 

Through endless vistas shining clear and bright, 

Innumerable worlds in ceaseless flight, 
And, unforbidden, scan eternal space. 

Even so life's limits, set by chance and change, 
Bar from our sight the things that are to be. 

Our nearest future shadowed seems and strange ; 
Yet sometimes, through the darkness, we may see, 

Above our dim horizon's narrow range, 
Some clear, sweet vision of eternity ! 



96 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



G 



OUR DAILY BREAD. 

IVE us this day our daily bread." 
This was the simple prayer we said 
In childhood, at the mother's knee. 
Like birds that clamor to be fed, 
In their soft nests, no doubt or dread 
For all to-morrow's needs had we. 

Now to our hearts, with care o'ergrown, 
A deep and thrilling undertone 

Rings clear through all that Jesus said. 
The sweet old words we used to speak, 
Still hold whatever good we seek, — 

" Give us this day our daily bread." 

The daily bread of Patience. This 
May be our portion still, who miss 

The feasts of life. Though it be meant 
That we should walk through barren lands, 
With longing hearts and empty hands. 

This humble crust may yet content. 



OUR DAILY BREAD. 97 

The daily bread of Faith. For though 
Unto our hps a draught of woe 

Must oft be pressed, howe'er we pray, 
E'en while we drink, at God's command. 
This crumb that falleth from His hand 

Shall take the bitter taste away. 

The daily bread of Love. Though we, 
Like princes, banquet royally 

On richest viands, 'mid the flow 
Of rarest wines, yet have not love, — 
How poor the priceless feast shall prove, 

When, starving still, we rise and go ! 

O Thou, who never yet hath ceased 
To shed Thy bounty o'er the least 

Of all Thy creatures, far and wide, 
Give us this day our daily bread. 
So shall we with Thy love be fed, 

And in Thy fulness, satisfied. 



gS THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



GOD'S OWN. 

""r^ IS thus they name her, " poor and old and lonely, 

-^ Awkward and plain of face ; " 
But, ah, if young and rich and fair had only 
One half her wealth and grace ! 

Nothing is hers by any claim or title, 

By grant from State or throne ; 
Yet hath she all things, by the sweet requital 

God giveth to His own. 

Homeless, some straying gleams from shining portals 

Make all her pathway bright ! 
On crumbs that fall from feasts of happier mortals 

She banquets with delight. 

Unwedded, from love's flowers that fade beside her 

She plants a paradise ; 
Childless, she finds the motherhood denied her 

In every baby's eyes. 



GOD'S OWN. 99 

Unlearned, she hath such store of sweetest knowledge, 

Such wisdom to impart ! 
The lore that is not taught in school or college, — 

The way to every heart ; 

The bright side of each soul, however hidden 

By sorrow, sin, or doubt ; 
The prisoned good, all life and light forbidden. 

That only love finds out. 

Ah, love it is that fills her life with plenty, 

Riches that grow and stay ! 
This her wealth's secret, though her hands are empty. 

Her heart is full alway. 

So though you deem her poor and old and lowly. 

Of little fame or worth, 
One named her blessed among the meek and holy 

That shall inherit earth. 



lOO THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



HELL GATE. 

LO, where deep sunken reefs of passion hide 
Beneath the troubled waters of my Ufe ! 

Sharper than poisoned dart or keenest knife, 
They rend and wreck my ships. Upon the tide, 
Red as with blood, my fairest hopes have died. 

My golden freights, forsaken in the strife. 

Unheeded lie, and every wave is rife 
With ruin, wrought by hate and doubt and pride. 

God saw my need, and knew the remedy. 
The mighty grief that could my heart control. 

His touch electric softly, tenderly, 
Upon my quivering heart in pity stole. 

One great convulsion ! Then the waves swept free 
Along the deepened channel of my soul. 



A LOST SPRING. loi 



A LOST SPRING. 

ALL the long months, while earth was growing 
bright 

With Spring's enchanting light, 

I was a prisoner in the house of pain 
With dulled and fevered brain. 
Dark were the days and drear ; 
I had no token that the Spring was here, 
Save that, day after day, 
Beside my pillow a dear hand would lay 
The blossom of the hour. 
First, a gold Crocus flower. 
And then the pensive snowdrop's fragile cup. 
Then violets, with their sweet lips hfted up 
To kiss my pallid face. 

All these, unheeded, lavished love and grace. 
And spent their odorous breath 
To lure me back from death. 



I02 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 

At last, from suffering's dreariest abyss, 

I turned to clasp and kiss 

A spray of apple bloom ; 

And when the first rose poured out its perfume, 

Pain loosed my bonds, and opened wide my door, 

And I was free once more. 

The Summer all her glories o'er me shed ; 

I lived, but, oh, the lovely Spring was dead ! 

Now, as a mother who has been bereft, 

Turns from her darlings left. 

And cries, while yet she loves them all the more, 

'' He was the sweetest child I ever bore," 

So I, though April's smile 

And many Mays my lingering steps beguile. 

Still count the bitter cost 
Of that bright season, clouded with despair. 
And deem no other can be half so fair 

As that sweet Spring I lost ! 



A WINTER ROSE. 103 



A WINTER ROSE. 

O WINTER Rose, by what enchanting power 
Was wrought thy shining miracle of bloom ? 
Who hid for thee the golden glowing hour 
That turns to summer this December gloom ? 

What thrilling impulse, like a secret fire, 

Melted the snows wherein thy heart doth hide ? 

What tender memory, what dear desire 
For the fond Sun, thy lover long denied? 

Haply the June forgot thee when she cast 

Her wealth of riotous bloom o'er hill and field j 

Now the poor, beggared earth doth hold thee fast. 
Like the last gold a spendthrift's purse may yield. 

O sweet, wise flower ! Thine is a happier doom, 
Though frosts may blight, than summer blossom 
knows. 

Better be one rose in a world of gloom 
Than, 'midst a million roses, but one rose. 



I04 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 

O heart, so near love's winter-time, take heed ! 

Spend thou not all thy wealth at summer noon ; 
Keep thou one last, fair flower till time of need, 

To turn thy drear December into June. 



LOVE'S PRESENCE. 105 



LOVE'S PRESENCE. 

AT the hearth where Love doth sit, 
Though but scanty fires are Ut, 
Though the freezing winter wind 
Everywhere may entrance find, — 
There doth gather sweet content, 
Hppe and peace and merriment. 
Throngeth music, mirth, and wit 
At the hearth where Love doth sit. 

At the board where Love doth wait, — 
Though the beggar at the gate 

Scorns the meagre crust we share, 

Find we ever sweetest fare, 
All things good for every need ; 
Penance days nor fasts we heed. 

Banquet we in royal state 

At the board where Love doth wait. 



lo6 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 

On the couch where Love doth lie 
Ne'er is heard the re^stless sigh. 

Though but coarse and hard the bed, 

Softly falls the weary head. 
Lingering kisses, lightly pressed, 
Seal the drooping lids to rest ; 

Blissful dreams with bright wings fly 

Round the couch where Love doth lie. 

In the heart where Love doth dwell, 

Palace, cot, or prison cell. 

Every care with joy doth blend, 
Toil is welcomed as a friend, 

Sorrow's face a smile doth wear, 

Death the name of Peace doth bear. 
Grief may come, but all is well 
In the heart where Love doth dwell. 



MV FRIEND. 107 



MY FRIEND. 

SHE is not beautiful, nor deeply wise ; 
She owns no trick of tongue, no lure of eyes ; 
But there is nought of loveliness or grace 
But finds a mirror in her tender face. 

In her pure presence all of good and true 
In word or deed, she seems to draw from you, 
And never dreams that the fine gold of thought 
Is all her own, in other's language wrought. 

Should life's long path grow dark unto your sight, 

Follow her footsteps, for she walks in light ; 

And all her acts unconscious lessons teach, 

Bright with sweet thoughts that blossom into speech. 

I may not liken her unto a flower, 

That charms all eyes, — and withers in an hour ; 

I may not liken her unto a star, — 

Though it shines ever, yet it shines too far ; 



lo8 THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 

But I have seen, and seeing, thought of her, 
Some forest fountain flow so faint and clear, 
It would be all unheeded, save that there 
The grass is greener, and the flowers more fair. 



THE FRINGED GENTIAN. 109 



THE FRINGED GENTIAN. 

IN thee, bright mirror of the autumn skies, 
Is heaven's dear blue betrayed to downcast eyes. 
Earth wears thee as a queen her sapphire crown, 
When, royal still, she lays her sceptre down. 
Nature's last gift thou art. How fair, how dear ! 
Dropped from the chill hand of the fading year. 

The sun, beloved of the passionate rose. 

Sought all in vain to break thy calm repose ; 

The soft south winds caressed thee ; and the showers 

Wooed thee with tears to join the world of flowers ; 

Vainly did Summer all her glories give ; 

Only the frost's first touch could make thee live. 

Ah, there are lives that never bloom aright 
While e'er the sun of happiness shines bright. 
No summer joy fulfils their highest need, 
Nor shows the way life's deeper meanings lead. 
Only at Sorrow's touch their souls unfold. 
Revealing all the sweetness that they hold. 



no THE WINGS OF ICARUS. 



FROM THE PHONOGRAPH. 

LISTEN ! It is the voice whereon death laid 
Long since the seal that made its music mute. 

Now doth it thrill like an imprisoned lute 
From this strange instrument that man hath made. ■ 
His voice ! The first of all his powers to fade, 

As fades a flower with life still at its root, 

His most ethereal, fleeting attribute. 
That fled while yet his fluttering spirit stayed. 

His voice ! It fiUs with glory the abyss 
Of empty years ! O doubters, in the face 
Of such a joy, be still ! Surely the grace 

Of this delight foretastes the ultimate bliss ; 
Surely these arms shall meet the old embrace, 

These eyes shall know his face, these lips his kiss ! 



QUA TRAINS. 



QUATRAINS. 

T WINGED my love for heaven ; yet hath it flown 
-^ No higher than its nest, this heart of thine. 
But love is love ; and God will find His own 
Whether it dwell with human or divine. 



Sad the young heart that, cold and hopeless, lies 
Under the embers of its dead desires. 

Sadder the old, that sternly, vainly tries 
To hide 'neath ashes its untimely fires. 



Scorn not the small song-blossoms of the hour, 
Whose fragile petals strew the winds of time. 

Some distant age may joy to see them flower 
Upon our crumbling Parthenons of rhyme. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




